April 7, 2017

About 8 years ago I watched Food. Inc and began a journey to change our diet habits feeding our family healthier, more nutritious food. We’ve tried different types of diets and at times I’ve been stricter...

April 5, 2017

I didn't grow up observing Lent. I loved my Presbyterian church family with all my heart, but there was nothing particular I remember about the time leading up to Easter.  It was Palm Sunday and then it was Easter. And that was that. As a Protestant...

March 29, 2017

A few weeks ago, the word “righteousness” kept popping up in my quiet times. It’s a word used frequently in Scripture (213 times!), but I kept looking at it thinking, “Righteousness … what does God really mean when he says, ”He will judge the world...

March 28, 2017

I pulled out of the driveway waving goodbye as I watched my two youngest children pressing their faces against the door, crying. It didn't take being a professional lip-reader to discern what they were screaming: "Mommy! Don't go!" And yet I went. Why, you may ask,...

March 20, 2017

I have a confession to make. I made an idol of my children. More accurately, the idea of my children, and my expectations of who they would be. I just knew, thanks to my loving yet firm hand, that they would exhibit first time obedience and perfect church behavior....

March 17, 2017

I looked down at my dad's response. Right next to it was a heart symbol. In the midst of many things for which I am thankful, my dad and I have had our share of relational struggles. Hurt, disappointment, miscommunication, and anger. Over the years, intertwined with blessings...

March 16, 2017

Music permeated the kitchen as my two oldest daughters and I prepped for dinner as a team. While chopping onions and drizzling olive oil, we sang the lyrics to the song, "Schuyler Sisters" from Hamilton the Musical. Over the last several months, my older girls and...

March 14, 2017

Before they were three years old, both of my sons had already lost two sets of parents (birth and foster). There is such sadness in losing one set of parents in a lifetime, but separating from two sets of parents at the very young age...

March 9, 2017

They said they would rather be outlaws a year in Sherwood Forest than President of the United States forever. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Tom and Joe Harper, Chapter 8. Recently I've been reading the famous children's book Tom Sawyer to my girls. Mark Twain's literary genius has...